Tag Archives: grain

Buckwheat groats are not actually wheat, it is a seed. They look like little pyramid shapes and are not roasted. Roasted buckwheat will be darker in color.

How to Sprout Buckwheat

Firstly measure out a cup of buckwheat groats. If you see in a recipe that you need two cups of sprouted buckwheat, you can actually start with one cup because by the time they’ve sprouted, they will usually double or even triple in size depending on how long you leave them.

Next add some water into your cup of buckwheat just enough to cover them and soak for 15 minutes. Buckwheat takes in water very quickly, if you leave them soaking for too long, there will be a gelatinous residue, which you want to avoid.

Next use a sieve and wash it off and drain it. Leave this with a cover over it. A tea towel is perfectly fine.

Depending on humidity of where you live, it will take 24 – 48 hours or even 3 days if you live in a colder climate to actually spout. Rinse the cup of buckwheat twice a day. They will double or even triple in size after it’s sprouted.

A study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry to study the difference in antioxidant and functional components between tartary and common buckwheat sprouts. Tartary buckwheat is also called bitter buckwheat because of its bitter taste.

Both varieties are found to be rich in polyphenols and ﬂavonoids, especially the major antioxidant component – rutin. Studies have shown that rutin is anti-inﬂammatory and is effective for preventing capillary apoplexy and retinal hemorrhage. Previous studies have reported that the ﬂavonoid content of tartary buckwheat is higher compared to common buckwheat.

The research shows that both common and tartary buckwheat is high in thiamine, riboﬂavin, and pyridoxine contents.

Rutin was the major ﬂavonoid in both varieties and is an essential role in the antioxidant activity of buckwheat sprouts. Apart from rutin, the key ﬂavonoids in tartary buckwheat sprouts includes quercetin and quercitrin. Comparing both, tartary buckwheat sprouts was found to have higher antioxidant levels. It was concluded from the research that tartary buckwheat sprouts should be chosen more often because of its better health-promoting properties.